


Life and Intramural Sports

by chestnuttree



Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Friendship, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-29
Updated: 2013-06-02
Packaged: 2017-12-09 21:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 8,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/778126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chestnuttree/pseuds/chestnuttree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern Day AU.  Spartacus is the captain of an intramural soccer team.  Agron is his best friend and co-captain.  They recruit Nasir.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Recruiting

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted to write a modern day au where Sparty got to be happy and he and Agron got to be the bffs they are. This is apparently what is happening.

“Agron!”

Spartacus sighed when his teammate made no indication of hearing him.

“Agron! Focus!” 

He knew he’d lose Crixus as soon as Naevia showed up and Gannicus was drunk five minutes into it like always (he thought about not holding the team meetings at the bar but he didn’t think that would actually help), but he could always count on Agron to focus and help him plan their plays for the next game. He wasn’t sure about it when Agron first joined their intramural soccer - or 'football' depending on who you asked - team, but he had proven himself an excellent strategizer.

“Agron!”

Agron finally snapped out of it and turned back to the table.

“Hm?”

“What do you think we should do about their forward? She used to play in college and I’ve seen her destroy other teams.”

“I’ve thought about that. Now, if we set ourselves up like this...”

Agron started drawing a diagram on a napkin, but now it was Spartacus who wasn’t really paying attention. He was scanning the bar trying to figure out what had been keeping Agron's attention. He spotted one of the free agents who had recently filled in for them for a few times before filling in for the opposing team last week. He had gotten a yellow card for slide tackling him in the second half. Spartacus couldn’t hold back a small smile.

“We could ask him to officially join our team, you know.”

“Wait - what?” Agron had been quite engrossed in his battle plan and hadn't noticed that Spartacus hadn't been listening.

Spartacus cocked his head towards the bar. “Nasir. Nemetes is joining Caesar’s team so we’ll need a new player. We could ask him.”

Agron shifted in his seat, doing a terrible job of pretending not to care. “Sure. Though his technique reminds me a bit of a wild dog.”

Spartacus’ smile got wider. “We can train him. Just as Doctore and Batiatus trained us.”

Agron just looked at him and deadpanned, "And that turned out so well.”

Spartacus let the smile fall from his face for a moment. It was true that they had had quite a falling out with their original coach and sponsor. Then he shrugged. “Well, we still learned how to play soccer pretty well, didn’t we?”

Agron sighed and leaned back in his seat, his eyes drifting back to Nasir and a small "fuck me" escaping under this breath. Then he turned back to Spartacus. “Can’t argue with that part of your logic at least.”

Spartacus grinned and crossed his arms, entirely too self-satisfied. This was going to be fun.


	2. Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should say this story isn't going to be horribly original. I'm going to draw heavily from events in the show. I hope you enjoy anyway!
> 
> Also, I have no idea how soccer works, so any corrections about that (or anything really) are welcome.

Spartacus couldn't help but notice Agron watching him show Nasir how to steal the ball without getting kicked out of the game. It was so obvious it was almost embarrassing, but he just rolled his eyes and carried on.

"That's good, Nasir, but you'll have to do better. Try to take it from me again."

This time when Nasir didn't quite move fast enough Spartacus tripped him and Nasir added a few more grass-stains to his collection.

"I said 'better', not 'worse'" Spartacus teased as he reached down to help him up. "And no, I would not get called for that in case you were wondering."

As Nasir brushed himself off Spartacus found himself looking over at Agron again and the look on his face made it almost impossible not to laugh. He could not ignore this any longer.

"Agron!" Spartacus shouted as he suddenly kicked the ball straight towards his friend's face. Agron was quick so he caught it. With his hands.

"Hey! What sport do you think this is?"

Agron just scowled at him and the smirk on Spartacus' face only made him scowl harder. 

"You know the rules. Illegal handling of the ball. That's 20 laps."

Agron huffed and mumbled a few things Spartacus could only assume were curses but started jogging as instructed. Spartacus turned his attention back to the task at hand.

"Nasir, get the ball and go work on your penalty shots with Mira."

When Nasir paid no mind to his command he didn't have to follow his gaze to know what he was focusing on instead. Spartacus sighed. 

"Nasir. The ball. Penalty shots. Mira. Now."

Nasir visibly pulled himself back to reality and nodded, avoiding eye contact because he knew he'd been caught.

"Oh yes. Right." Then he ran off towards the ball and away from Spartacus.

Spartacus just shook his head and waited for Agron to make his way around the field. When he did he slid in next to him.

"Joining me, coach?"

"I am. I am largely to blame after all. I should know better than to expect you to play soccer when you are busy staring at your heart's desire like a love-sick puppy."

"I am not -" Agron stopped himself before completing the statement.

"Can't even finish that sentence, can you?"

"Shut up."

"So do you think you can find your own excuse to talk to him today or do you need me to think of one for you?"

"Shut fucking mouth." 

"All right, but if you don't find your misplaced balls and do it today I will pair you up for partner stretches next time."

After making his parting shot Spartacus dropped back and returned to the rest of the group before Agron could respond. He waited until Agron finished his laps before calling a break, during which he went to stand by Mira while she cleaned her cleats. After some small talk they began discussing the carpool plan for their upcoming away games - or something like that. Spartacus found his attention wandering.

“You know, Spartacus, I learned a long time ago how to tell when your mind was elsewhere and you weren’t really listening to me. What is it that has your attention this time?”

Spartacus opened his mouth to protest, but Mira already spotted Agron and Nasir chatting across the field and gave a knowing smile.

“And don’t think I haven’t figured out your little side-project either. But relax. Your boy can take care of himself.”

Spartacus raised an eyebrow, surprised at Mira’s faith in the man she used to refer to as simply ‘the angry German boy’. She laughed and added, "Most of the time."

So they went back to actually discussing the carpool plan. It was difficult because so few people were willing to ride with each other with Crixus and Naevia’s road rage issues, Gannicus refusing to let anyone else drive his van but also refusing to use a map or get a GPS unit (he claimed they were just unnecessary encumberments), and Saxa and Lugo always trying to flash passengers in other vehicles. It was a serious problem, and they were nowhere near a solution when they noticed Agron walking over.

“Oh, looks like we’ll have to finish this later. I’ll work on that spreadsheet and get back to you.”

"Thanks."

Then Mira darted off with a quick nod to Spartacus and wave to Agron.

“So what were you two talking about?” Agron asked as he waved to a Mira who was already halfway across the field.

“Carpool.”

“Fuck. Forget I asked.”

“Done.” Spartacus crossed his arms and turned to Agron, going into full papa bear mode. “So how’d it go?”

Spartacus was bracing himself for an angry ‘How the fuck do you think it went?’ or a ridiculously stupid grin depending on which way the conversation had gone, but Agron was surprisingly subdued and difficult to read - which was far from Agron’s natural state. Agron paused and his eyes flicked to the ground and then towards Nasir before speaking.

"He had a brother, too."

Spartacus didn’t know what to say. This was the first time he could remember Agron talking about Duro without crying or going into a rage since the accident. He didn’t want to press the matter though so he just clapped him on the shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

“Come on, we’ve only got the field for another twenty minutes. Let’s see if we can’t put it to good use.”

“Right,” Agron nodded as a bit of a smile returned to his face.


	3. Slow Going

Watching Agron and Nasir over the course of the next few weeks was almost as frustrating as it was amusing. Case in point, today’s practice had ended over forty-five minutes ago and just about everyone else had gone home except those two. They were still sitting under a tree chatting away like two school kids who just figured out what it meant to _like_ like someone. Agron reached over to pick a piece of grass or something out of Nasir’s hair and Spartacus could see Nasir blush all the way from his seat on the bench. 

And yet they were still just friends. 

"Gods, they're cute."

Spartacus jumped - he hoped imperceptibly. He would never admit to it, but Mira had snuck up on him again. She now stood next to him with one hand on her hip as casual as ever. He made a mental note to figure out how she did that.

“Are they seriously not together yet?”

Spartacus shook his head. Despite how obvious it was to everyone else in the world, they were either still in denial or too afraid. It was hard to tell.

“What are you still doing here anyway? I thought you left.”

“I did.” Mira lifted up the red hoodie in her hand. “But I forgot my sweatshirt. What about you?”

“I’m Agron’s ride.”

“Ah. What a patient man you are.” When Spartacus only shrugged Mira continued. “Anyway, Chadara already talked to Nasir. It didn’t seem to help though. Maybe you can talk some sense into the big one?”

“Not really my place.”

“Says the man playing matchmaker from the start.”

“Point taken,” Spartacus conceded,”but I can only do so much.”

“Yeah, yeah. Well I gotta run if I’m going to make it back to Saxa’s in time for the game. Later!”

“Later.” 

It was a nice day out, but Mira was right. Spartacus didn’t pay for the deluxe sports television package not to use it, and watching a game off dvr just seemed wrong. It was time to go. Spartacus picked up his ball and casually made his way over to them. He didn’t bother waiting for a good time to interrupt.

“Hey, do you two remember why we called practice early today?”

Nasir just looked embarrassed as realization dawned on Agron’s face.

“Oh shit, the game.”

“Yes. The game,” Spartacus responded matter-of-factly. 

Germany was playing France and they had had a short practice so those who wanted to watch (which was just about everyone) could. 

Agron sprang to his feet and looked at his watch. “We’ve still got 20 minutes. That’s still enough time to make it to your place if we hurry. Nasir...”

Nasir rose slowly, brushing the dirt off his shorts.

“Go,” Nasir said, wearing a self-conscious grin as he cocked his head in the direction of parking lot. “It’s about time I left, too.” He paused for a moment and bit his lip, somehow managing to look even more sheepish. “I was supposed to be at my sister’s for an early supper, and if I leave now and pedal fast enough I may still be able to make it in time for dessert.” 

Agron lightly touched Nasir’s shoulder. “Until next time then. Safe journey.”

“Same.” Nasir lingered a moment, just barely leaning into the touch before darting off. Spartacus let Agron watch Nasir run to his bike before reclaiming his attention.

“Coming?”

“Yep.” Agron slapped Spartacus’ arm and ran past him to the car. Of course it was Spartacus’ car so he just had to stand outside of it until he got there (keyless entry be damned; he was waiting), but since they were running late Spartacus didn’t make him wait long. 

Spartacus got in and threw the ball in the backseat before letting Agron in. Agron quickly slammed the door and buckled up.

“Apologies.”

“None necessary. Although it surprises me how a game you spent the entire practice goading Crixus over suddenly slipped your mind.”

“Fucking Gaul,” Agron spat as he looked out the window.

“Anyway,” Spartacus said, rolling his eyes and trying to extinguish the fire he should have known better than to start, “we still have time to pick up a six-pack before the game starts, and I think you’re buying.”

“Agreed.” And Agron snapped back into a pleasant mood just as quickly as he had threatened to snap out of it.

They may have missed the first few minutes of the game, but soon enough they were sitting on the couch - beers in hand, feet up on the coffee table - when Mira’s words started replaying in Spartacus’ head. He tried to ignore them, but found that he couldn’t. 

“So are we going to talk about exactly _why_ you left me hanging for an almost hour back there?”

Agron took a large swig of his dwindling beer and kept staring at the television.

“Nope.”

“Nope? That’s it?”

Agron went through the motions of taking another swing even though his bottle was empty. He pointed at the screen.

“Did you see that block? Colghan is having a great year.”

Spartacus took his time draining the last of his own beer while contemplating dropping or pushing the subject. He sighed.

“He is.”

He pushed himself off the couch to go grab another beer for each of them. At least he could tell Mira he tried. Sort of.


	4. Game Day

And so it continued.

Spartacus really knew it was bad when Nasir took Crixus’ side in an argument and Agron just shook his head and smiled at him. The last time Spartacus did that he got a death glare and the silent treatment for a full two and half hours.

But Spartacus didn’t have time to ponder that now. It was game day, and it was not going well.

Things started going wrong before the game even started. They only had just enough people scheduled to show up so it was doubly unfortunate when Crixus texted saying he couldn’t make it. He had run into his old boss’ boss and was stuck doing work for a company he didn’t even work for anymore. Not even Naevia could explain exactly how they'd roped him into it, but they all agreed to go help him escape if he was still there when the game finished.

So they began the game with only ten players. 

Then Lugo got a red card three minutes into it for using what the referee could only assume was excessively offensive language and what was definitely an offensive gesture. 

So they were down to nine. And in no time at all they were already losing by two goals.

Spartacus was pretty sure things couldn’t get any worse when he saw an opposing player take down Nasir in a way that was definitely not an accident. The ref blew her whistle immediately to pause the game and eject the offender.

Spartacus ran over to check on him, but was beaten there by Agron, who was already kneeling by his side. His hand was on Nasir’s shoulder, his thumb unconsciously rubbing small circles against it, and his face was tight with concern.

“Nasir, are you hurt?” 

Nasir was breathing hard, but he tried to smile.

“No, I’m fine. I just had the wind knocked out of me. That's all.”

Agron nodded, looking somewhat relieved but not convinced. He stood and motioned to Spartacus to help him pull Nasir up.

Once they had gotten him to his feet they hesitated to release him. He had winced more than once on the way up and was heavily favoring one leg. Nasir kept insisting he was fine though and brushed them off, thanking them for their help. However, his act didn’t last when he put weight on his left foot and started to fall. Luckily Spartacus and Agron were still there to catch him before he did any more damage.

“You are not fine,” Agron said before Nasir could protest again. “Come on.”

They helped him hobble over to the bench and sit down. Naevia brought over a bag of ice from the cooler and some plastic wrap. 

“Let me.” She knelt down and began to wrap the ice pack around his ankle.

“Gratitude.”

She smiled at him once she had finished and left to check her phone for any messages from Crixus.

Agron bent down so his eyes were level with Nasir’s and placed a hand on the side of his face - his thumb again unconsciously making small circular motions, this time against his cheek. 

“Are you going to be all right? Should I take you to Urgent Care?”

Nasir turned the slightest shade of pink and shifted in his seat.

“Your concern is...” Nasir paused to lick his lips and look at the ground, as though he would find the words he was looking for at his feet. He looked back up once he had and finished, “...much appreciated, but unnecessary. It’s just a twisted ankle. It will be fine.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, I am certain. But what about the game? We are already short two players. Maybe I could - “

“No,” Agron insisted. “Do not concern yourself with the game. Your ankle needs rest. We will manage.”

Spartacus was about to remind Agron that some of them did need to get back to said game when the ref’s whistle did it for him. Agron's gaze shifted over towards the field for a second before turning back to Nasir.

“Are you going to be all right?”

Nasir laughed warmly. Clearly touched but getting a little embarrassed by Agron's excessive concern. “Yes. Now go.”

“All right.”

But before he did he kissed him.

He leaned in and placed a slow, chaste kiss on Nasir’s lips before pulling away. 

He stood with an uneasy expression for a moment until the look of shock on Nasir’s face faded into a shy smile. Then Agron was beaming. But when neither of them seemed to be able to find any words Spartacus decided not to wait for them to find their tongues (because at the pace those two moved that could be days) and grabbed Agron by the arm, dragging him back onto the field.

As they jogged back to their positions, Spartacus looked at Agron and shook his head.

“Really? A twisted ankle is what finally gets you to make a move?”

“Well - it’s just - I”

Spartacus held up a hand to stop him.

“You don’t have to explain. I just wish I’d known. I’d have kicked him in the shins weeks ago.”


	5. Puppy Love

After that it was like watching two puppies frolic in a field of sunshine and rainbows. 

Or at least that’s how Mira described it. And apparently it was very distracting. At least that was her excuse for the time they almost lost Spartacus’ little cousin Ilithyia. Spartacus had only asked them to watch her for a few hours while he ran into work but that proved too much. Allegedly Nasir and Agron couldn’t keep their hands off each other and while Mira was busy teasing them about it before sending them home to do their thing Ilithyia ran off. Luckily Spartacus showed up soon after and they found her before anything really bad happened, but he still had to shake his head at the three of them for the next few days and make a mental note to never put them on any sort of guard duty together again.

But to be fair, Mira was not the only one affected by their charms. Yesterday when Spartacus was trying to give the team a big pep talk before the game he couldn’t help but feel like everyone was just giggling and watching Nasir and Agron cuddle behind his back. He was a bit miffed, but the team’s spirits were still lifted and they won the game so he tried not to dwell on it. Though it wasn't so much the _team_ ignoring him that irked him. Just a particular member.

But today Agron was his. The man had promised to help him paint his kitchen and he had kept his word. He had been doing a good job of it, too. Well, he was actually making quite a mess but they were making good progress if you ignored the time they’d have to spend cleaning and touching up.

“Spartacus.”

“Yes?” 

Spartacus put his brush down and turned to his friend. He had even more paint on him than the last time Spartacus had checked but that was no surprise. What was a bit of a surprise was the thoughtful, almost embarrassed expression Agron had on his face. He was gazing into the bucket of paint he was stirring instead of looking Spartacus in the eye, and Spartacus had just about given up on him actually speaking again when he finally opened his mouth.

“How did you know?”

Spartacus cocked his head to the side. “How did I know what?”

Spartacus had a feeling where this was going but he wanted Agron to say it.

“How did you know..with Sura, I mean. How did you know she was the one?”

“She told me.”

The look on Agron’s face made Spartacus chuckle.

“It’s true. Have I ever tell you that story?”

“No, you haven’t.”

Agron and Sura had never even really met. While Sura was the one who originally inspired Spartacus to form the soccer team she had never actually played on it. Her job required her to be gone for weeks or months at a time. She was passionate about her work though, and Spartacus would never stop her - could never even if he wanted to - but he still missed her dearly. They had actually broken up over it briefly and Spartacus had tried dating other women, but that only served to prove that Sura was the sole owner of his heart. Everything always came back to her.

Spartacus gestured towards the table and went to the fridge to grab a couple of beers. If it was going to be story time they may as well take a proper break. They sat down and Spartacus took a drink before starting.

“As you probably already know we went to the same high school, and while we knew of each other she tended to avoid me. I had a bit of reputation,” Spartacus smiled at the mix of fond memories and stupid decisions that suddenly came to mind. "Anyway, one day we had a biology class camping trip and in the middle of the night I heard someone crawling into my tent. I tried to jump up but mostly just tripped over myself as I was in my sleeping bag at the time. Luckily for me it was not a bear or a classmate with a grudge. It was her. I asked her what she was doing there, and do you know what she did? She looked at me with complete sincerity and told me that she just had dream, and that in this dream the gods came to her and told her that she would be the only woman I would ever love. I didn’t believe her of course, but I certainly wasn’t going to kick her out either. We spent the night together and in the morning she left before the other students got up. Before she left though I told her that this didn't mean we were together or anything, but she just shrugged and said 'No, it doesn't, but the gods have spoken' and left. At first I just thought I had gotten really lucky with a crazy girl, but she was right. My thoughts just kept coming back to her, and I was chasing after her by the end of the day.”

Agron had listened to the entire story without saying anything and now looked like he was deep in thought. Spartacus simply waited for him to come to whatever conclusion he was drawing.

“So what if your significant other doesn’t have prophetic dreams?”

Spartacus laughed.

“I guess you’re on your own then, buddy.”

“Great. You’ve been a huge help.”

"Happy to be of service."

Spartacus clapped Agron on the back before leaning back to examine his friend. Clearly he was head over heels, and maybe Nasir would be the one. But they were obviously still in the honeymoon phase so it was impossible to say. It had been a ridiculously long honeymoon phase, but it still had to come to an end sometime. The only question was when.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So first of all thank you to anyone who is following this! Secondly, I'm about to go on vacation for 2 weeks and do not think I will be able to update while I'm away so sorry for the wait but know that it has not been abandoned!


	6. Pirates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the delay! Thank you for your patience. Now let's have some drama, eh?

Soon it was time for the annual tri-county tournament. The top five teams from each county plus a wildcard entered a double-elimination contest starting Friday night and ending Sunday afternoon. There was a small entrance fee, but it did include t-shirts. The Rebels had gone the past two years, and while they had never won, the Saturday night party scene alone was worth putting up with the sting of defeat.

Their first game was on Friday against the Romans. Normally this would be bad news, but luck was on their side. Their captain, Marcus Crassus, couldn’t make it until Saturday afternoon, so not only did his team have an empty spot left open for him to fill later on, but his son, Tiberius, was in charge instead, and he was still rather green in the ways of the world and this tournament in particular. So when the Pirates started setting off fireworks from behind the bleachers - as they were known to do - he was quite distracted and his team visibly lost focus. The Rebels were (mostly) able to ignore it thanks to Agron's remider to watch out for the Pirates’ antics, but the Romans had had no such warning. The Rebels may have been able to squeeze out a win anyway, but the edge the Pirates provided definitely helped and they were able to claim a strong victory.

To return the favor they made sure to attend the Pirates’ game against the Romans Saturday morning and offer similar assistance. They didn’t light anything on fire, but they could still be pretty rowdy. Saxa, Gannicus, and Lugo especially shone at this task. Their efforts paid off. The Romans lost and were out of the tournament. 

There was much to celebrate.

At the party that night the Rebels and the Pirates were pretty tight. Their joint effort to defeat the Romans had formed a sort of bond. The Romans had won the tournament the past 5 years. It was a good feeling to finally see them dethroned.

Spartacus was chatting with the Pirates’ captain while keeping an eye on his team. Crixus and Neavia had retreated to a corner of their own as usual, and Saxa was hitting on everyone within reach - also as usual. Lugo was standing on a table leading drinking songs, and he spotted Agron giving Gannicus a buddy hug on his way to the restrooms. 

He smiled to himself. Everything seemed to be in order. That was until he saw Nasir drunkenly stumble into Castus, a Pirate midfielder. 

He saw Nasir mumble something that Spartacus assumed was an apology and try to walk away, but Castus grabbed his arm, stopping him. They kept talking, and it didn’t take a lip-reader to tell that Castus was hitting on Nasir. And by the blush on Nasir’s cheeks he was being rather forward about it. Spartacus trusted Nasir and knew he could take care of himself, but this could be a problem if a certain someone saw this. 

So Spartacus’ stomach sank when that certain someone suddenly appeared next to Nasir with a look on his face that spelled nothing but trouble. That was _not_ Agron’s friendly smile.

Castus made one last comment before being receiving a punch to the jaw.

And it didn’t stop at that. Agron seemed intent on beating the living daylights out of the guy. Castus got in a few hits, but it wasn’t long before Agron had him by the shirt collar and was just pummeling him. Spartacus pushed his was through the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight.

“Agron!” Spartacus shouted over the noise. “Agron!”

Surprisingly enough Agron heard him. He stopped his beating long enough to look at Spartacus and meet his eyes. Agron’s were wild and Spartacus stared back into them without faltering.

“Fall from sight.”

Thankfully Agron listened to him. He gave Castus one last punch before dropping him to the floor and walking away. Nasir glanced briefly at Spartacus before setting his gaze to the floor and following Agron out the door.

Spartacus let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. This was unacceptable, but he would let Nasir deal with Agron tonight. Right now he had to go make sure Castus wasn’t going to press charges.


	7. Unraveling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 updates in 1 day? I'll finish this thing yet!

Things continued to go south the next day. 

Apparently the Pirates had cheated in their match against the Romans, so they were out and the Romans were back in. Marcus was back as well.

The Rebels ended up facing them in the championship. 

They lost.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but at least things between Agron and Nasir seemed to be okay. Nasir’s pulled back hair and Agron’s deep V-neck did little to hide that fact. Spartacus was a little disappointed to see Agron’s behavior had been rewarded, but so it goes. 

He and Spartacus were sullenly packing up their gear when Agron stopped in the middle of taking off his shin guard to look up and smile.

“Nasir.”

But then his face fell.

Spartacus looked up to see Nasir coming over - with Castus.

“What is he doing here?”

Spartacus tensed. Agron’s anger was still barely contained and very palpable.

Castus answered the question himself. “As you may have guessed, we didn’t really cheat yesterday. Crassus paid off the captain to lie so he could get back in. I wanted you to know that I had no part in that.”

“Why should we believe you? Or care either way.”

“Hear him out, Agron,” Nasir ventured nervously. Agron shot him a glare that said _'this had better be good'_ more than words ever could.

“Thank you, Nasir. It is so nice to see someone here is a gentlemen.”

Agron didn’t say anything but his nostrils flared.

“The captain pulls stunts like this all the time. I was thinking that it may be time I made more honorable companions.” Castus paused here, but when no one else said anything he continued. “Also, they all left without me and I need a ride.”

Agron rolled his eyes, but Nasir spoke again before anyone else had a chance to. 

“I told him we could give him one.”

Agron's face was expressionless. He closed his eyes briefly and swallowed before speaking. He kept his gaze pointedly above Nasir’s head and into space.

“Fine. Spartacus, can I get a ride with you?”

Spartacus was hesitant. He had no desire to be in the middle of this. “Sure, but...”

He wasn’t quite sure how to finish.

Agron bent down to finish ripping off his shin guard before storming off to Spartacus’ car. Spartacus just raised an eyebrow and turned his attentions back to Nasir.

“You drove here, right?” He didn't think Agron would take off with the keys leaving Nasir without an actual form of transportation on purpose, but he had to check in case he had perhaps forgotten in the heat of the moment.

“Yeah.”

“Okay." Thank the gods for small favors. He was not looking forward to having to go get keys thrown at his face. "Drive safe.” 

He quickly packed up his things and trudged over to his car, but not without turning back to give Castus enough of glare to let him know that his presence was not exactly welcome.

The first half of the car ride home was long and silent. Spartacus knew Agron had a temper, but this jealous streak was new. In retrospect he realized its existence shouldn’t have surprised him though. Even with his brother he could be a bit possessive at times. On a good day you could call it 'over-protective', but not always. It wasn’t his best trait. 

But instead of having a heart to heart about it, they eventually started talking about what went wrong during the game and what they could do differently next time. Distractions would have to do for now. The talk of strategy seemed to take Agron's mind off of Castus for a bit, but he looked rather upset again by the time Spartacus dropped him off. For Agron’s sake Spartacus hoped Nasir giving Castus a lift home would be the end of it, but it wasn’t. 

Two days later Nasir showed up to practice with Castus trailing behind.

“Spartacus, can I speak with you a moment?”

“Of course, Nasir. What is it?”

“As you know, Castus had a bit of a falling out with his team," Nasir paused to bite his lip before continuing,"so he’d like to join ours.”

Spartacus paused to think. Castus was an excellent midfielder, and he wasn’t about to let Agron’s pettiness influence who was on the team. On the other hand, the team was full so his hands were sort of tied there.

“We already have a full roster, Nasir. But he can practice with us as a free agent.”

That seemed good enough for Castus.

“I accept. And I will prove myself a worthy addition - if a space ever happens to open up, of course,” Castus said as he stuck out his hand for Spartacus to shake.

“Welcome.” Spartacus took his hand and shook it. He could not deny that the man did have a firm handshake.

Nasir and Castus were walking away but still within earshot when they passed by Agron. They were a few paces past each other when Nasir spoke in a voice that must have sounded more pleading than he intended.

“Agron, stop.”

Agron stopped, but did not turn around.

“I have no words for you.”

“That is unfortunate as I have several for you.” The pleading was gone from Nasir's voice and replaced with anger.

Agron crossed his arm. “I have no desire to hear them with him here.”

Nasir gave an exasperated sigh but gestured for Castus to leave them. He did. 

Agron looked somewhat smug and finally turned to face Nasir. “I am listening.”

“Good. Because you must realize that you do not own me. You cannot tell me what to do or who to spend my time with. Besides, he is just a friend and you are being ridiculous.”

“Am I? Have you told him he is just a friend? Because I have seen the way he continues to look at you. Do you truly believe that is all he is after? Because I do not.”

Nasir's mouth was open in shock and frustration but Agron did not give him chance to form words. He walked over to the nearest ball and kicked it as hard as he could. He kicked to ground a few times, too, for good measure before going after it.

Over the next couple of weeks Nasir continued to spend time with Castus, and Agron continued to sulk and distract himself at irregular intervals in Spartacus' shadow.

And even someone who didn’t know what was going on would be hard-pressed to miss the satisfied look on Castus’ face.


	8. Surprises

The next few weeks were full of surprises.

First, the Roman’s manager - make that ‘former manager’ - showed up one night seeking a position with the Rebels. Leata had loyally served the Romans for years, but had been traded to the Pirates without her consent to guarantee their “confession” to cheating in the tournament. She was not happy about this and expressed it in no uncertain terms. The captain of the Pirates let her go as no manager was worth that many stitches.

The Rebels had never really had a manager before, and Spartacus was wary of trusting a newcomer with their secrets. However, Leata also had other peoples’ secrets and seemed quite eager to use them to stick it to those who had turned on her. Spartacus decided to take his chances. They ended up working quite well together.

The next surprise was less pleasant and sadly less surprising. After years of philosophical differences Crixus had finally decided to form his own team. He made the announcement with just two games left in the season. Spartacus had talked him into staying several times in the past, but he knew there was no stopping him this time.

The third surprise was a result of the last one and should have been pleasant, but left a bitter taste in Spartacus’ mouth. It happened a few days after Crixus made his announcement. Practice had just ended and Spartacus was going over stats from the last game with Leata when he noticed Agron walking over to join Castus and Nasir on the bleachers. Agron rarely joined them unless it was to make a point of glaring at Nasir and making a snarky remark about who he chose to spend his time with. This time however he seemed to be making an attempt at showing some composure.

“Come to make sure I am behaving? As you can see I am keeping both my hands and my feet to myself.” Castus held up the aforementioned body parts to demonstrate his point.

Agron let out a barely noticeable sigh. Castus was not going to make this easy for him.

“No. I am actually coming over to welcome you to the team, you fuck. So it appears as though I will never be free of you and your shit.”

Castus’ eyes got wide and a pleased grin spread across his face. “Gratitude.”

“Do not thank me. It will not be until next season, of course, after the spots of Crixus, Neavia, and whoever else decides to join them open up. Besides, it Nasir’s words that convinced Spartacus to say you in are. If it were up to me you would never wear this.” He emphasized the last part by throwing a team t-shirt into his lap as forcefully as possible.

Nasir was beaming. Agron was still being his rude self, but this was progress, right? There had been no punching or storming off. Maybe this meant that they could all finally start to get along. He looked to Agron for confirmation, but did not receive it.

“Do not fucking cast that look.”

While those words could have been taken as playful, the tone with which they were spoken most certainly could not. 

Nasir’s smile dimmed and he could no longer meet Agron’s gaze. It appeared that Agron was not finally accepting Castus himself as much as the inevitability of Castus’ presence. It was an improvement to what he had been doing, but it was still far from ideal.

Still, it was a good start. Or at least Spartacus hoped it was.


	9. The Farewell Party

The last game was almost upon them before they knew it. They had decided to have a big end-of-the-season/going-away party two nights before the game. The night before held the very real risk of hangovers during the game and a post-game party held the also very real risk of moods dampened by a loss. This was surely the reason the league scheduled all final games on Sundays. The party was being thrown in Spartacus’ backyard and most of the team was over helping to set up. The party officially started at seven, but most of the team came over right after work to help set up. Those who did not show up early were in charge of bringing the alcohol. It seemed like a fair deal.

Spartacus’ job was to mix the non-alcoholic punch. And while he had managed not to spill anything he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes from wandering over to Castus, Nasir, and Agron, who were chopping vegetables and preparing meat for the barbecue. With the amount of time he was spending watching those three lately he was beginning to feel like less of a concerned friend and more of a creeper all the time. But he was concerned. Castus and Nasir seemed to be enjoying themselves well enough, but something was definitely still eating Agron.

“Fuck!”

Spartacus jumped at Leata’s outburst. She was trying to set up one of those party tents and was failing miserably. His eyes leapt back to the three men in time to see Agron perform a rather dramatic sigh before going over to help her. He didn’t leave without making the _‘I’m watching you’_ gesture to Castus though.

Yes, things were indeed still far from ideal.

Setup was finished early so a few people ran home to freshen up before coming back to spend the rest of the evening together. 

But soon enough the drunks and the stars had come out. The party was going well. Everyone seemed pretty cheerful despite the heaviness of the impending separation. Spartacus was leaning against the fence by himself when Agron finally decided to grace him with his company. His eyes looked a bit red and puffy. 

“How much have you had to drink?”

“I have not been drinking at all. I want to keep a clear head.”

“Hmm.” Maybe he had allergies. The weather report had said there was a high pollen count today. “Where have you been?”

Agron let out a slow breath. “A better question would be ‘Where am I going?’”

“Okay, where are you going?”

“I have decided to go with Crixus.”

Mentally Spartacus was shouting _”What?!”_ very loudly, but he somehow managed to swallow his beer without doing a spit-take. He took a moment to pull himself together.

“If that is your decision then I wish you luck and express gratitude for all your help. I cannot deny that I wish you would stay though.”

“I cannot. Do not mistake me. I have thoroughly enjoyed being on a team with you, but I fear there is no longer a place for me here. When a bird wants to fly away you have to let it go, right?”

Agron wasn’t actually looking at him when he said that last line. Spartacus raised an eyebrow before responding.

“Agron, this is a free country and there are no contracts in intramural soccer. You can do as you please without convincing me to let you go with flowery language.”

“Right. Apologies.” Agron laughed hollowly before turning back to Spartacus. “Still brothers?”

Spartacus clasped his friend’s outstretched hand before pulling him into a hug. 

“Always.”

Spartacus shook his head as Agron walked away. It had taken him a few days to accept losing Crixus and Neavia. It would take him even longer to accept losing Agron and Nasir. It felt like the team he had spent so long building was being torn apart. He looked around, trying to take in everyone together while he could and spotted Nasir sitting in the corner of the yard next to Castus. He walked over to say goodbye.

“I just heard the news from Agron. We will be sad to lose you, Nasir.”

“Then rejoice, for I am not going anywhere.”

His voice was anything but joyful.

“You will not be joining Crixus’ team with Agron?”

“No. I would, but...”

“Agron made his choice,” Castus piped up, inching closer to Nasir.

Realization hit Spartacus like a ton of bricks. The bird Agron spoke of earlier was not himself. Agron was a fool. Nasir was a fool. They were both fools. He turned around and grabbed Mira as she passed behind him. 

“Find Agron, follow him, and make sure he does not do anything stupid.”

She glanced at Nasir and then back to Spartacus. She seemed to glean what was going on almost immediately.

“If I read this situation correctly I must say that you are asking a lot. Would that I had the power to stop the sun.”

“Well try to. At least follow him and call me before he does anything particularly idiotic.”

“Right.”

They spotted Agron saying goodbye to Saxa and Lugo before making his way out the back gate. Mira ran off before she lost him.

When Spartacus focused back on the other half (or two-thirds more accurately) of the problem he saw Castus trying to get Nasir to eat something.

“Shut fucking mouth! Agron is gone barely five minutes and you waste no time seizing fucking opportunity!”

“As I said before, Agron made his choice...”

“A choice he made because of me! He is gone because of me. He saw the way my eyes fell upon you.” 

“So you finally admit it.”

Nasir threw a punch at Castus, but it was weak and half-hearted. Castus easily deflected it. “He’s gone because of me.” Nasir made as though to take another swing but just slumped to ground instead. He seemed to choke back a sob. “That is why I could not ask him to stay.”

Spartacus was speechless - which was okay because while he had been planning on grilling Nasir to find out exactly what happened and possibly talking some sense into him that had proved to be unnecessary. Which was fortunate because when Mira’s ringtone started playing he knew he’d better answer it right away.

“Report.”

Spartacus swore he could hear Mira roll her eyes at that over the phone, but she had no time to tell him how irritating that was tonight.

“He went to Rome and is picking a fight with Caesar. Get over here right now.” Then as an afterthought she added, “And in the future try to make less violent friends!” being hanging up.


	10. Rome

Rome was a bar three blocks down from Spartacus’ house. Even though it was so close, they never went there. That was the Roman’s territory. Spartacus was grateful the party was held outside so he didn’t have to waste time putting on shoes before sprinting down the street. He pushed right past the bouncer, through the doors, and right into Mira. She stumbled but kept her footing.

“He is over there and he will not listen to me,” Mira said as she pointed to the bar and shoved Spartacus in the right direction.

He heard Agron before he saw him.

“You fucking cunt.”

Spartacus was pretty sure that was blood Agron spat. His lip was already split and an impressive black-eye was forming as he and Caesar circled each other. Caesar on the other hand appeared untouched and was wielding two broken beer bottles, one in each hand. Spartacus had to stop this before Agron got himself seriously hurt or the cops showed up. Caesar had connections and if they showed up he’d walk away with a medal while Agron would be crucified. 

Spartacus quickly scanned the room trying to form a plan. He saw plenty of makeshift weapons and a few familiar faces. He was hit with inspiration. 

He shoved the person directly in front of him out of the way and grabbed Tiberius. He knew he and Caesar didn’t get along and hoped that would add to the distraction when he threw him at Caesar. It was just extra convenient that Tiberius was small enough for him to throw. 

While Caesar was sprawled on the floor swearing at the boy he suddenly found on top of him Spartacus and Mira grabbed Agron and dragged him outside. He was a big guy so he was grateful Mira was there to help drag him along and push gawkers out of the way. Although it probably helped even more that Agron wasn’t really resisting. He was so dazed he didn’t seem to realize what was happening until they were already a block away.


	11. Licking Wounds

Spartacus soon found himself sitting on the curb outside a local supermarket next to Agron, who was gingerly holding an improvised icepack to an already impressive shiner that was only getting more impressive with each passing minute. He had sent Mira back to his house to let certain people know what was going on and to make sure certain other people hadn’t burned his house down.

“Let me see your eye.”

Agron grimaced as he removed the pack of frozen peas from his face. 

Spartacus inspected it the best he could by the glow of the streetlights.

“Hmm, we should get you back to the party before it swells completely shut.”

“Why?”

“So you’re less likely to run into something on the way there.”

“No. I mean why should I go back? I already told you; there is nothing for me there.”

“I disagree.”

Spartacus held up his hand to silence the protests he knew would come.

“After you left Nasir punched Castus in the face, you know. Twice.”

He let that sink in.

“Truthfully?”

“Mostly. He honestly attempted to, but was so upset he was unable to land a blow.”

“Do not mock him.”

“I am not mocking him. He is a capable fighter and I am speaking the truth. You put the pieces together.”

Spartacus could see Agron softening.

“He chose you, Agron. You must see that.”

Agron groaned.

“How can I? I know what it is I saw and it was not that.”

“He knows why you think that and is beating himself up for it as we speak.”

Agron did not respond. He looked like he was going to cry - and not from his wounds.

“Yet I am in the greater wrong, for it was surely I who drove him to it. How can I ask for forgiveness now?”

“With your heart on your sleeve and your tail between your legs.” Spartacus stood up and offered Agron his hand. “And the sooner the better.”

Agron accepted the help up and leaned heavily on Spartacus’ shoulder as they made their way back to his backyard. They paused for a minute in the driveway.

“Gratitude. For everything.”

“Think nothing of it. I know you would do the same for me.”

The party had all but died out by the time they returned. A few of the more intense partiers were passed out in or under the hammock while those on the other side of the spectrum, like Sybil, were quietly helping to clean up. Most of those that fell somewhere in between had gone home. 

Except for Nasir, Castus, and Mira. 

Mira greeted them at the fence and pointed to the other two. They were still sitting where Spartacus had left them. It was Castus who noticed them first. He lightly nudged Nasir and pointed towards them. Nasir slowly got up and made his way to Agron.

At first it seemed like neither of them knew what do to. Finally, Nasir reached up to stroke Agron’s face.

“The gods return you to my arms.”

“I was a fool to ever leave them.”

Agron was still leaning on Spartacus’ shoulder and Spartacus was quickly beginning to feel like a third wheel. He gently passed Agron to Nasir and bid his farewell.

“Take him home and get him cleaned up.”

Nasir just nodded as they slowly made their way out.

Mira and Castus joined Spartacus as he watched them leave.

“I wish I could have been him. If only for a day.”

Spartacus stared at Castus. He had certainly caused a lot of trouble, but at that moment he somehow couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for him. Mira broke the silence.

“Next time, try going after someone whose heart isn’t already taken.” She stepped forward, rolling her shoulder and wincing a bit. That old injury still bothered her sometimes. “Trust me. It’ll save you a lot of pain. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink and we can cry on each other’s good shoulders.”

Spartacus watched them go and suddenly felt very alone.


	12. Home

Spartacus was sitting around his house the following weekend wondering what to do with himself. This happened every year after soccer season ended.

When the doorbell rang he was grateful for something to do. He opened the door to find Agron’s suspiciously beaming face.

“What are you up to?”

“Is that any way to greet a brother?”

Spartacus just squinted at him harder, and Agron just smiled wider.

“Listen, Spartacus. I realize what you did for me, and I just wanted to thank you properly. I owe you. So I got you something.” 

Agron stepped aside and Sura stepped into view.

Sura.

Spartacus couldn’t believe it.

“How? I thought you weren’t coming home for another six weeks?”

“Are you going to stand there asking questions or are you going to properly greet your wife?”

Spartacus finally pulled himself together enough to embrace and kiss her.

“I still want to know how.”

Sura provided the answer.

“ _Someone_ called the higher ups sounding completely panicked and distraught - and maybe a bit threatening - and convinced them that I was absolutely needed at home for a family emergency. I’m a little upset about the terrifying sixteen hours I spent coming up with every possible thing that could have gone wrong with everyone I love, but I think this someone’s heart was in the right place.”

Spartacus felt that he should probably also be upset about the trouble breaking protocol like that could cause if the lie were discovered, but he was smiling so hard his face hurt. He could not remember that last time that happened.

“It usually is.”

Spartacus embraced Sura again and mouthed ‘thank you’ over her shoulder as Agron quietly slipped out and shut the door behind him.

The End 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and all the encouragment along the way! :D I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
